When Love Blossoms
by Fellykins
Summary: Chris falls in love with Maddie following a contest, but his feelings aren't returned and they go their separate ways. When their paths cross again and they escape danger together, a friendship blossoms into romance.


**Author's Note:** I don't own Pokemon or Katy Perry's Unconditionally as they belong to their respective owners. I did use the lyrics from Katy Perry's Unconditionally in this story though, and they were the inspiration for it. I originally wrote this for submission on a Pokemon RPG called URPG, where stories are typically (but don't necessarily have to be) one-shots.

 _Oh no, did I get too close?_

 _Oh, did I almost see what's really on the inside?_

 _All your insecurities_

 _All the dirty laundry_

 _Never made me blink one time_

Had he gotten too close? The last time they'd spoke, he shouted to the world how much he loved this beautiful, amazing girl, and yet, here he was, alone. It seemed like the rest of their day had been fine. They sat and ate and enjoyed their time together, or at least that was how it had all appeared to him. She certainly looked like she was enjoying herself. If that was the case, then why was he sitting here alone now? Why hadn't she said a word to him since that day?

His groan made the Ralts on the grass beside him look over at his trainer. Ralts nudged his trainer with a hand that was covered by the sleeve of his gown. The trainer looked over at his Pokemon.

"It's nothing, Blade, don't worry," the trainer said. "I'm just thinking is all."

"Ral," the Pokemon replied, turning his attention back to the clouds in the sky.

The trainer was known to lie to his Ralts, not that it ever did him any good. Blade could always see through him. Between being a Psychic type and also being able to sense his trainer's emotions, Blade always saw through his trainer's lies. Of course, in this case, his trainer hadn't completely lied. He _was_ thinking, but he was _also_ thinking about the girl they'd met at the contest hall a few months ago. The good thing was that Blade didn't always press the issue; he knew when to not bother his trainer.

" _Hey!" he called out, rushing over to the girl and her Ralts after a crowd of her fans dispersed. Her attention turned to the young man. "You did really good in that contest. Your Ralts did too. It's a shame the two of you didn't win. I thought you both deserved it."_

 _She shrugged as she glanced over to another girl and her Roselia. The Roselia was wearing the ribbon on her forehead, attracting the laughter of her trainer and her trainer's friends. "It happens. Roselia was just the smarter Pokemon. I'll just have to try harder for the next contest."_

 _The young man nodded. "Of course!" he replied, smiling. He held his hand out to the girl. "I'm Chris, by the way." His other hand gestured to the Ralts standing beside him. "And this is Blade, my Ralts."_

" _Nice to meet you," she replied, taking his hand and shaking it. "I'm Maddie, and this is my Ralts, Chrom."_

" _Say, would you like to get lunch?" he asked. "If you're not doing anything else that is."_

She had agreed, of course. That was the first time Chris and Maddie had really spoken. He had entered that contest on a whim – battling was more his forte – and upon seeing her after the contest, he was grateful that he did. Not only did he get some helpful hints from the girl, but he'd also found love that day.

Except now that love wasn't being returned. He was sure he'd ruined everything that day he had lunch with Maddie, and he was destined to be forever alone. His friends told him there were other fish in the sea, but Maddie was the only fish he wanted.

Reunited in Fortree City after their initial meeting, the pair agreed to travel to Lilycove City together. They split up the morning after arriving, having spent the night they'd arrived talking over dinner. Maddie had gone off to the Lilycove Contest Hall before Chris even rolled out of bed, or so her brief note had said. Chris spent his day on a boat traveling to Mossdeep City, though he sincerely wanted to go watch her and her Ralts at the Lilycove Contest Hall. If he hadn't already bought tickets for the boat when he arrived in Fortree (before he'd even met up with Maddie), he would've stayed an extra day and watch.

Now he was moping, dreaming of seeing her once more.

 _Unconditional, unconditionally_

 _I will love you unconditionally_

 _There is no fear now_

 _Let go and just be free_

 _I will love you unconditionally_

He tried to let go, he really did. Blade knew something was up, but whenever the Ralts tried to inquire about it, Chris would brush his Pokemon off. Eventually, Blade learned to not even bother asking about it anymore; he would just assume that his trainer was moping about Maddie for the billionth time since they'd parted ways in Lilycove. Still, the constant moping made Blade a bit sad too, though the Ralts tried to remain chipper for his human partner. The trainers Chris met along the way tried to cheer him up, but like Blade, they too failed at their mission. Blade's spirits brightened considerably whenever other trainers were around to try and cheer up Chris though, and it helped him get through the days when he just couldn't cheer his trainer and friend up.

Chris went on to become the Hoenn league champion. It was the happiest Blade had seen Chris in some time. Of course, Blade had become a Gallade by this point, but he still recognized his trainer's emotions. Happiness and excitement weren't something Chris had felt in some time, even defeating gym leaders didn't cheer him up for more than a day or two at a time, but becoming the Hoenn league champion cheered Chris up for a week before he was reminded of Maddie and her Ralts winning a Master Rank contest in Fallarbor Town on the news. The pair had been interviewed, and she was overjoyed to have the Master Rank Smart Ribbon for her Ralts; he knew they'd worked hard to get it. Seeing her happiness crushed Chris though. The new Hoenn league champion was still upset about losing the girl that he believed was the love of his life.

 _Come just as you are to me_

 _Don't need apologies_

 _Know that you are worthy_

 _I'll take your bad days with your good_

 _Walk through the storm I would_

 _I do it all because I love you, I love you_

It was about six months before Chris lost his place as the Hoenn league champion to a young trainer named Wallace. While he was a little bummed out about it at first, he got over it once he was able to get plane tickets to the Sinnoh region. His time in Hoenn had been great, and he'd never forget his time as the Hoenn league champion. It was time to move on though. He had other dreams he wanted to achieve, like opening his own daycare. When he found out Sinnoh didn't have a daycare of their own, he saved the money to get a plane ticket. After all, the best place to start a daycare was a place that didn't have one at all; there was no competition there, and Chris would get all the business to himself, though competition wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Upon arrival in Sinnoh's Jubilife City, he made his way towards Solaceon Town. That was where region officials were looking to start up a daycare in Sinnoh, and Chris wanted to jump on the opportunity before anyone else did.

Unfortunately, it was possible someone would get to the opportunity before him. He wasn't quite sure where he was, other than he was in the Sinnoh region, specifically leaving Jubilife City, and (hopefully) walking in the direction of Solaceon Town. What he did know was that he would eventually need a map (or at least a person who could give him directions to get to Solaceon), but there was a more pressing issue of several blue haired men and women blocking his path that needed to be dealt with before he could truly worry about getting to his destination.

Blade the Gallade was by his side as he always was, and he stepped in front of his trainer, taking on an offensive stance. The Psychic and Fighting type's eyes swept across the line of blue haired men and women that blocked their path, as if he was waiting for one of them to make a move.

"Um, can we get through?" Chris asked, stepping beside his Gallade. "We just want to get to Solaceon Town."

Upon closer inspection, these men and women all wore a similar uniform—a grey and white jumpsuit for the males and a grey and white dress with white leggings for the females. Both uniforms had a yellow G printed on the front. Their outfits more or less reminded Chris of Team Aqua and Team Magma of the Hoenn region; they too tended to have males and females in similar uniforms.

"Too bad, kid," one of the male grunts replied. "If you want to get through, you'll have to get past us!"

"I'd rather not fight if I didn't have to," Chris replied.

"Then I guess you're not getting through," the male grunt said. "Team Galactic's doing work over here!"

Chris sighed and counted the number of grunts there. Three females, seven males. He frowned. Chris only brought his partner, Blade, to Sinnoh with him. He had left the rest of his Pokemon back in Hoenn with Professor Birch because he wanted to catch new Pokemon in Sinnoh; a new region meant a new adventure, and he would be able to train his new Pokemon in the process of building the daycare center while also bringing his old Pokemon over to help if needed. He was suddenly cursing his desire to do that.

Still, he found himself surrounded by ten Galactic grunts and their Pokemon—two Crobat, three Purugly, a Honchkrow, two Toxicroak, and two Houndoom. Blade kept his gaze on the Honchkrow, but he was ready to react to the sound of his trainer's voice. He had no choice but to fight if he wanted to get through.

"Blade, knock the Purugly, Toxicroak, and Houndoom off their feet!" Chris shouted. "Use Low Sweep! I'll jump over you, don't worry!"

Gallade bent down and spun around, using one of his bladed arms to support the weight of his body as he did so. Chris jumped up as his Pokemon's outstretched leg made its way towards him, but when he did, he took a Honchkrow to the face. Face and bird collided, and Chris was knocked down.

As soon as the young man landed on the ground, he and his Gallade were ambushed by the two Crobat, and the Purugly, Toxicroak, and Houndoom joined in too once they'd recovered from the Low Sweep.

"Use Psychic!" Chris shouted, trying to defend himself against the Pokemon that were now attacking him; he didn't have the opportunity to get off the ground before he was attacked. There was a burst of energy that escaped Gallade that knocked the Pokemon away, with the exception of the Houndoom and Honchkrow, who continued to attack as if nothing had happened.

Gallade slipped into unconsciousness, succumbing to the injuries from the attacks he endured. Chris followed soon after.

 _Unconditional, unconditionally_

 _I will love you unconditionally_

 _There is no fear now_

 _Let go and just be free_

 _I will love you unconditionally_

He groaned as he sat up. He pushed himself into a sitting position with his back against a wall. He slowly opened his eyes, his vision becoming less blurry with each blink.

The first time he opened his eyes, he didn't see Blade near him. A panic rose up inside him, but he wanted to get his bearings before he started to look for his partner.

The second time, he was able to see the fuzzy outline of his Gallade. His Pokemon must've realized his trainer was waking up. The panic died down a bit.

The third time, two more fuzzy shapes had appeared in his line of vision, and Blade's body became less blurry.

By the fifth time he'd opened his eyes, Chris was able to make out the figures of his Gallade, a Ralts, and a familiar face.

"Maddie?" Chris asked weakly.

"Funny seeing you here, huh," Maddie replied with a small smile.

"Ral!" her Ralts added, though Chris wasn't really sure what the little Psychic type had really said. He was still dazed from the incident that had happened… how long had he been out?

"When… when did I get here?" he asked.

"Yesterday afternoon. You've been out all night," she replied. "Chrom and I have been here a while. I think we've been here a month?"

"Ral," her Ralts said, nodding his head. Blade got up and walked to the metal bars that trapped them in the cell. He glanced up and down the hallway.

"How did you end up in Sinnoh?" Chris asked, taking his gaze away from Blade and focusing on Maddie.

She looked the same as he remembered her. A beautiful round face that her brown hair framed perfectly. She had side-swept bangs now, but other than that and her dirty clothes, she was just like how he remembered her: beautiful, amazing, brilliant.

In a way, he was glad he ended up in this cell because he was able to see Maddie again. On the other hand, he dreaded it because all of those feelings he'd been trying so hard to forget were coming back, and now was not the time to be arguing about a potential relationship.

"Contests in Hoenn got boring," she said with a shrug. "They've been around for so long that it's hard to make a name for yourself. Winning a Master Rank contest was great and got me on TV for a bit, but I wanted more. I found out about the new Sinnoh contests and figured I'd come give them a shot. I was on my way to Hearthome City when those Galactic losers snatched me away."

Chris clenched his fists. He had a sudden desire to bring this place down and make those Galactic grunts pay for locking her up in this awful place. He didn't quite like being locked up here either, but Maddie was a beautiful girl; she didn't deserve this.

She was about to continue speaking, but when she heard footsteps, she closed her mouth. Blade stepped away from the bars.

A man wearing the Galactic jumpsuit walked by. He peered into the cell, nodding at Chris. The former Hoenn league champion didn't respond, so the Galactic grunt kept walking.

Once the footsteps were gone, Maddie spoke. "Chrom and I have figured out how to get out of here."

Chris leaned in. "How?"

"Chrom is able to teleport in and out of the cell," Maddie replied. "The only problem is he can only teleport himself in and out, not both of us. He's not strong enough for that."

"Couldn't he just grab some keys?" Chris asked, leaning back against the cool wall.

"Those Galactic losers carry the keys with them. If Chrom tried to take them, he'd get caught and we'd both be in trouble. I fear they'd take him away from me, and I don't want to know what they'd do to him," Maddie replied. Blade had taken a seat by his trainer at this point, and he nudged Chris with his arm.

" _I think we could get out of here_ ," Blade told Chris. The two had established a telepathic connection after Blade evolved from a quiet Ralts to an equally quiet Kirlia. The only difference was that Kirlia used his mind to communicate, but it was easy to see the young Ralts in Blade. Even as a Gallade, Blade continued to use his mind to communicate, but he also used some of the same movements and actions that he'd used as a Ralts; nothing changed with the young Pokemon. " _I think I'll be able to get you and Maddie out._ "

Chris nodded. Even after all this time, Blade still recognized his trainer's love for Maddie. "Let's try it with Blade then."

"You sure?" Maddie asked. "Maybe it'd be better if I tested it with him. You're still weak from your injuries."

"Go for it," Chris replied.

The two got up and walked to the bars. They peered down the corridor, looking left and right, before blinking to the other side. On the outside, they looked both ways again before blinking back inside the cell. They took their seats back.

"Looks like it works!" Maddie said with a smile.

"So it does," Chris said, moving to stand up. He was forced to sit back down again as psychic energy kept him from getting out of a crouched position. Chris turned to Blade. "What?"

" _Rest_ ," Blade said. " _You just woke up, Chris. Let's wait a few days before we try to escape. You'll need your strength to get out of here._ "

"Alright," Chris finally said. "We'll try to escape in a few days when I'm rested."

 _So open up your heart and just let it begin_

 _Open up your heart and just let it begin_

 _Open up your heart and just let it begin_

 _Open up your heart_

A few days felt like an eternity when they were locked up in that cell, but the pair was able to use the time to catch up with each other. Blade and Chrom seemed to be having a telepathic conversation because they never really seemed to use their words, but Maddie and Chris relied on the spoken word to tell their tales.

Chris told Maddie about his path to becoming the Hoenn league champion. Together with Blade the Gallade, Amor the Luvdisc, Spike the Qwilfish, Breeze the Chimecho, Mao the Sceptile, and Bella the Bellossom, he was able to defeat the then-reigning champion Steven. Of course, his status at champion didn't last forever, and Wallace, the Sootopolis City gym leader that Chris had to defeat in battle to get the final badge he needed for Elite Four eligibility, came and challenged Chris. Wallace won the rematch, though it was a fierce battle. Chris was glad to have lost the championship to Wallace as he was truly a skilled trainer, though Water types were his specialty. Free from his commitment to the Hoenn league, Chris learned about the desire to start up a daycare in Sinnoh's Solaceon Town, and he left Amor, Spike, Breeze, Mao, and Bella with Professor Birch and made a trip to Sinnoh with Blade by his side. He was captured before arriving in Solaceon though.

Maddie's story was similar, but it also wasn't. After participating in contests in Lilycove City with not much success, she went to Fallarbor Town to try her hand at contests there. She was able to win her Master Rank Smart Ribbon for Chrom there, and that was the start of her rise to fame. She went back to Slateport City after winning the Master Rank contest. She participated in contests there for some time, looking to earn ribbons in other attributes with Chrom by her side, but after a crushing defeat in a festival, Maddie made way for the Sinnoh region. Contests had spread to the region, and Maddie felt she'd be able to achieve her dream of becoming a top coordinator in a region where she could start the trends and set the bar for others. She and Chrom the Ralts had been on their way to Hearthome City to participate in their first contest when Galactic grunts ambushed them and took them into this cell. With only Chrom by her side, Maddie was in no position to fight back, though since being locked up, Chrom had expressed a desire to get out of the cell and fight their way out of the compound, something Maddie had never seen in him before because he had always been such a passive Pokemon before everything happened.

Once the day came to escape the cell, they were ready to go.

They waited for the morning guard to pass through before escaping. Once his footsteps could no longer be heard, Chrom teleported out of the cell first, standing against the wall and constantly looking both ways in case someone came down the hall.

Blade teleported Maddie out first, and then he came back for Chris. Once the quartet was out of the cell, they made their way down the hall in the same direction the guard had gone earlier. Maddie overheard one of the grunts and a woman with magenta hair tied up into a bun saying that they took her bag into a storeroom of some sort. Presumably, they had gone through it, but Maddie wasn't quite sure. Either way, she and Blade led the way while Chris and Chrom stayed close behind them.

They nearly rounded a corner that would have taken them straight to the storeroom, but two blue haired grunts were posted outside.

"Chrom, use Hypnosis on those two guards," Maddie whispered. The little Psychic type stepped forward, taking care to not trip over his gown. He peered around the corner and blew a light pink mist from his mouth towards the two guards. Slowly but surely, the mist passed by them and the guards sank to the floor. The one farthest from them even started snoring.

They rushed forward, and Maddie grabbed the keys from the guard that had them. She peeked into the room, and once she verified that no one was in there, she got to work on unlocking the door while Chris and Blade stood guard.

There was an audible click, and the quartet pushed their way into the room. Maddie locked the door behind them.

"Look, there's some extra uniforms," Chris said, pointing to a small closet. "Let's change into their uniforms. It might be easier to get out that way."

Maddie had been checking her bag for her supplies to make sure everything was there. She looked up when Chris spoke, and when he was done, she nodded. She grabbed her bag and his (he hadn't gotten a new bag between his time in Hoenn and Sinnoh like she had, so his had a few patches to cover holes and was obviously worn) and tossed it onto a table. He rushed over to the closet to grab a male and a female uniform. He tossed the female uniform to her, which she caught with ease, and he tossed his over a chair.

For a moment, Chris had forgotten he was even in the room with her. Time was of the essence, and he wanted to get into the Galactic uniform before someone came along. That said, he wasted no time in stripping out of his current outfit. It wasn't until he'd put the bottom half of the Galactic uniform on that he saw just how red Maddie's face was.

"Oh," Chris said quietly, holding his own shirt in his hand as his face turned red. "I'm, uh… I'm sorry. I'll look away so you can change."

She nodded, and he turned to face the closet to finish dressing. It wasn't until he heard her rummaging through her bag that he turned to put his clothes in his bag. They didn't speak until both Pokemon were back in their balls.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, and together, they left the room.

 _Acceptance is the key to be_

 _To be truly free_

 _Will you do the same for me?_

They were able to get through the corridors with ease. Apparently not all of the Galactic grunts had the same electric blue hair that Chris and Maddie had been accustomed to seeing. The issue of their hair color had slipped their minds in their hurry to get changed and out of the storeroom. The farther away they were from their cell, the better.

It wasn't until they stepped outside of the compound and into the fresh air that they were stopped by the magenta haired woman Maddie had mentioned the other day.

"Are we leaving?" the woman asked.

Two grunts grabbed Maddie and Chris' hands, holding them behind their backs.

"I'm afraid you won't be doing that today," she said with a smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jupiter, one of Team Galactic's admins. We've heard about both of you, and we're sure that the two of you can use your influence to help us with our goals. Why do you try to leave?"

"You locked us in a cell!" Chris shouted. "We're not going to help people that just throw us into cells and knock us out!"

Jupiter looked from Maddie to Chris. "Oh," she said. "You were the boy who was knocked out near Solaceon Town. Yes, yes, I heard about that. Such poor treatment to someone we wanted to help us. I don't think we treated the girl that poorly though."

"You took me away in the middle of the night!" Maddie replied. "And then you locked me in that cell! How is that not poor treatment?"

The Galactic admin shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We're going to take you back into your cell, and I think we'll take your Pokemon too. Can't have you escaping again."

"Like hell you will!" Chris shouted. He stomped on the foot of the grunt who was holding him back. The grunt cried out in pain, and Chris reached into his bag. "Blade, come on out and help us fight!"

Chris tossed the red and white ball into the air. There was a brief flash of white light before the Gallade materialized in front of his trainer. "Blade, let's take out those Crobat coming towards us with a Psycho Cut!"

As Blade rushed towards the Crobat to knock them out of the sky with a bladed arm that took on a purple glow, Chris rushed towards the grunt that held Maddie down. She had stepped on his foot and he was distracted briefly by the pain that came with it. Chris shoved him to the ground, and he turned quickly enough to shove the other down too.

"We have to fight," Chris breathed. "Us and our Pokemon. If we don't, they'll catch us again, and it'll be harder to get back out. You heard her, she said she'll take our Pokemon."

Maddie nodded and took a couple Poke Balls out of her bag. She tossed them into the air. "Chrom, Bubbles, come on and help too!"

The Ralts and a blue Pokemon with warts materialized in front of her. "Chrom, let's use a Psychic on those Toxicroak! Bubbles, let's slow the others down with a Bulldoze!"

Ralts gathered up psychic energy and launched it towards the Toxicroak. Even outside of battle, everything was a performance to the little Psychic type. Bubbles, a Seismitoad, rushed forward, and plowed through some of the Purugly and Houndoom that were on the ground. Bubbles gathered them all up and shoved them into a tree, creating a nice pile of Pokemon underneath.

As the Pokemon fought, their trainers fought alongside them. Chris and Maddie defended themselves against the Galactic grunts that fought to protect their leader, and the Pokemon fought not only because their trainers wished for them to do so but because they also wanted to protect their trainers.

It wasn't long before the only thing that stood between Chris and Maddie and their freedom was none other than the Galactic admin herself, Jupiter.

"You may have defeated my grunts, but you still have to beat me if you truly want to get out of here!" Jupiter said.

The Galactic admin had stayed out of the battle for the most part. She never sent any Pokemon, and whenever Chris or Maddie went for her, her grunts would rush to her air, so the duo could never touch them.

Now that all of the grunts were down for the time being and no more came rushing to her aid, the only thing Jupiter had left to defend herself left was her Pokemon. Jupiter tossed a red and white ball into the air, and out came a Golbat.

Chrom and Bubbles were tired. Blade was exhausted. Their trainers were exhausted. It was clear that Jupiter already had the upper hand here, but Maddie reached into her bag.

She tossed a ball into the air. "Monk, help us finish this Galactic loser off!"

In a flash of light, a furry red Pokemon with flaming eyebrows appeared in front of Maddie. As he landed, he was showered in blue sparkles that stood out against his fur.

"Monk, let's start this off with a Flamethrower!" Maddie shouted.

"Golbat, latch onto him with a Crunch!" Jupiter cried out.

Chris let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure how many Pokemon Jupiter had with her, but he was glad that Maddie had a third partner with her to fight the Galactic admin. He glanced over at the other three Pokemon that were watching the battle. All three were injured from the earlier fight.

"Hey, Blade!" Chris called out quietly. "Chrom, Bubbles, come here!"

Chris backed away a little, taking a position that allowed Blade, Chrom, and Bubbles to be out of the action but still able to see it too. The three Pokemon he'd called out came over. Chris rummaged in his bag for three Full Restores. The potions, once sprayed on the Pokemon, would sting a bit, but they'd heal the Pokemon too. It was a double-edged sword, but the positives outweighed the negatives. He didn't know if Maddie had any more Pokemon besides Monk, and if he fell in battle, it was all over. It wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

As Chris sprayed the Full Restores on the Pokemon one by one, Maddie continued to hold her own against Jupiter. For a girl who dreamed of being a top coordinator, she was able to hold her own in battle pretty good too. Still, it seemed as if Monk the Darmanitan had fallen in battle (but so had Jupiter's Golbat), and the battle was now Maddie's Banette versus Jupiter's Skuntank. Chris was grateful that she still had more Pokemon.

"Marion, use Shadow Ball!" Maddie called out.

"Take it out with Crunch," Jupiter commanded.

As Marion the Banette prepared a ball of shadow energy in her hands, Skuntank rushed forward. The skunk leapt up and opened his mouth to latch onto Marion. Unfortunately, it also took a Shadow Ball straight to the mouth and was sent backwards by the force of the attack.

But Skuntank didn't give up, and he was able to knock Marion out with a Crunch.

Maddie frowned as she reached for her last Poke Ball. The red part of it had been decorated with rock stickers and green sparkle stickers. She tossed it into the air.

"Hermie, you're our last hope! Give it all you've got!" Maddie shouted. When the hermit crab appeared, rocks poked out of the ground and green sparkles fell around it.

Jupiter chuckled. "Skuntank, come rest for a bit. We can make quick work of this Crustle."

The purple furred skunk retreated from the field to go stand next to the Galactic admin. Jupiter tossed a Poke Ball into the air.

"Bronzong, let's make quick work of this Crustle with a Psychic!" Jupiter commanded.

"Crustle, use Stone Edge!" Maddie shouted.

As Crustle used the sharp, pointed rocks that it had entered the battle with to strike the Bronzong, the metal Pokemon gathered psychic energy for its attack. It didn't even flinch as the rocks hit it. When Bronzong released the psychic energy, Bubbles rushed in to take the hit.

"Bubbles, no!" Maddie cried out. She moved to take a step forward, but Chris rushed to hold her back. It was one thing for them to rush in and fight Galactic grunts, but it was another for them to rush into a Pokemon battle when they were actively fighting.

Bubbles was able to take the hit thanks to the Full Restore Chris had given her, but while the wounds were healed, the physical exhaustion was still there.

"Let her battle. I gave her and Chrom a Full Restore, everything will be alright," Chris whispered in her ear.

"Bubbles, use Hydro Pump! Hermie, Stone Edge again!" Maddie called out.

Jupiter frowned. "Skuntank, you're back in the battle." The skunk let out a cheerful cry as he rushed back onto the battlefield. "If they want to play a two versus two, then so be it. We can play those games too. Skuntank, Crunch! Bronzong, Psychic! Focus the Crustle!"

Skuntank nimbly dodged the Stone Edge and Hydro Pump, leaving Bronzong to tank those hits without flinching. The skunk Pokemon latched onto the hermit crab, and Bubbles tried to pull the skunk away. When Bronzong launched its psychic energy at them, Hermie and Bubbles were knocked away as Skuntank was unaffected by the attack.

Maddie sank to her knees. It was over. Their freedom was going to be ripped away from them. They were going to go back into that cell.

"Ral!" Chrom cried out. He had stepped onto the battlefield, standing before the Skuntank and Bronzong, who towered over the small Psychic type.

Maddie looked up. "Chrom, no! You're not strong enough!"

"Ral!" Chrom replied. He didn't move from his position. Instead, he gathered a ball of bright pink energy in his hands. When it was done charging up, he launched it straight at the Skuntank. It hit.

"Chrom?" Maddie said. "Was that… was that a Moonblast?"

"Ral!" Chrom replied, charging up another Moonblast in his hands.

"Don't just stand there! Attack him! Use whatever you have to, just knock that Ralts out!" Jupiter shouted. Skuntank and Bronzong reacted. The skunk rushed towards Ralts, and Bronzong charged up more psychic energy.

"Chrom, move!" Maddie shouted. Chrom didn't move. Maddie buried her face in her hands. She couldn't bear to watch her precious Ralts be knocked out by the seemingly unbeatable Skuntank and Bronzong duo.

"Skun!"

"Bronzong!"

"Ral?"

Maddie looked up. Blade stood between Chrom and Jupiter's Skuntank and Bronzong. The Skuntank and Bronzong had been knocked to the ground, and Blade was ready to fight.

"Skuntank, Bronzong, get up!" Jupiter shouted. "Use your—"

The Galactic admin was silenced by the bright light that had consumed Chrom. Maddie's eyes widened as she watched her Ralts grow. When the light disappeared, a green Pokemon wearing a white dress standing on his toes appeared in Chrom's place.

"Kirlia, kir!" Chrom cried out, moving to stand next to Blade instead of behind him.

"Chrom evolved," Maddie breathed.

"Attack now!" Jupiter shrieked. "Focus the Kirlia!"

Skuntank rushed forward as Chrom charged up a Moonblast in his hands. Bronzong charged up another Psychic. Blade kicked the Skuntank back towards Bronzong, and Chrom's Moonblast sent the skunk Pokemon into the Psychic and Steel type behind it.

Neither Skuntank nor Bronzong got up after the final blow was dealt. Jupiter stomped her feet on the ground, but she was stopped by an officer handcuffing the admin.

"We did it!" Maddie cried out, throwing her arms around Chris. "We did it!"

As the trainers embraced, so did their Pokemon. Blade picked up Chrom and spun the newly evolved Kirlia around. They were free from that cell and they weren't going back.

In all of the excitement, Maddie kissed Chris, which took the young man by surprise, but the brief moment of passion was interrupted by one of the officers.

 _Unconditional, unconditionally_

 _I will love you unconditionally_

 _And there is no fear now_

 _Let go and just be free_

 _'cause I will love you unconditionally (oh yeah)_

 _I will love you (unconditionally)_

 _I will love you_

 _I will love you unconditionally_

Maddie and Chris were escorted to the Eterna City Pokemon Center. Their Pokemon were left with the Nurse Joy in charge of the center, though Chrom and Blade were inseparable now.

"Thank you," Maddie said as she sat down on her bed. "For everything. I really appreciate it."

"I couldn't let a pretty lady like you fight those Galactic goons alone, could I?" Chris replied with a chuckle. Maddie smiled.

"Why don't I help you with your daycare center in Solaceon?" Maddie asked. "That's why you're here, isn't it? I don't think you and Blade can do that alone."

Chris shrugged. "I have my other Pokemon back in Hoenn. Professor Birch said he'd send them over if I asked, and I was planning on catching some new Pokemon, which I imagine will be a lot easier now that I'm not in that cell." When he saw Maddie's frown, Chris jumped up and went to sit next to her on her bed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "But if it's gonna make you frown if I say no, then I'm gonna have to say yes. I can't have a pretty lady like you frowning, can I?"

Her frown quickly turned into a smile as she snuggled up to Chris. "No, you can't."

"Right. Then we'll work together on the daycare!" Chris replied. "But what about your dream of being a top coordinator?"

"I can still do it," she said. "I'll just take a little break to help you with the daycare. I'm sure my Pokemon and I could use the break after everything that's happened, and I think it'll be a good experience for us. And besides, if I ever get bored, there's a Contest Hall in Solaceon too."

They were discharged from the Pokemon Center the following morning after their Pokemon were mended. They made the journey to Solaceon Town over the course of the next week, and they made reservations for rooms for an extended period of time upon arrival. Over the course of the next several months, they worked together to build the daycare from the ground up with the help of Chrom, Marion, Bubbles, Monk, and Blade. With Maddie's help, Chris had no reason to try and catch new Pokemon or have Professor Birch send his old ones over from Hoenn.

When opening day finally came in the early days of summer, trainers from around the region were overjoyed to finally have a daycare in Sinnoh. The best part was that Chris had the girl of his dreams by his side through the stress of opening day, and she kept him grounded through it all. Opening day had been a success, and the daycare – and Chris and Maddie's relationship – blossomed.


End file.
